> They're literally profiting by keeping you, and losing by not
I find it very hard to believe that at a hypothetical $200k/yr, my company benefits to the tune of $201k/yr+ at me working ~10 hours a week (5 2 hour days).
it's a probability thing, esp. if you interact with anything sensitive. Even if you don't actively work, having the keys to the kingdom and being latently trustworthy enough to not immediately defect is worth a lot compared to trying to find an equivalent (and transferring knowledge to them). also the knowledge is invaluable in the one-off scenario where you're actually needed.
I find it very hard to believe that at a hypothetical $200k/yr, my company benefits to the tune of $201k/yr+ at me working ~10 hours a week (5 2 hour days).